After configuring vCenter Server Linked Mode, the vSphere Web Client reports the error: Unable to connect to vCenter Inventory Service

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• After you configure vCenter Server Linked Mode, you experience these symptoms:
  
  
  • When logging in to the first vCenter Server, the vSphere Web Client reports an error referencing the first vCenter Server:
    
    Unable to connect to vCenter Inventory Service on vc1.domain.com
    
    Note: vc1 is the first vCenter Server in the Linked Mode
    
    
  • When logging in to the second vCenter Server, the vSphere Web Client reports an error referencing the first vCenter Server:
    
    Unable to connect to vCenter Inventory Service on vc1.domain.com
    
    Note: vc1 is the first vCenter Server in the Linked Mode
    
    
• When you search the inventory of the local vCenter Server, you receive the expected results
• When you attempt to search the opposing linked vCenter Server, you receive no results

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x

Cause

This issue occurs when one or more vCenter Servers participating in Linked Mode have more than one NIC configured. The Inventory Service federation binds to the incorrect IP address.

Resolution

If a vCenter Server in a Linked Mode group has multiple network interfaces, you must set the correct IP address that the vCenter Server advertises to the other vCenter Servers in the Linked Mode group.

Inventory_Service_installation_directory/lib/server/config/query-server-config.xml file using text editor.

Note: The default location for Inventory Service is C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Inventory Service.

• !-- <property name="externalAddress" value="192.168.0.1" /> /--
  
  
• <property name="externalAddress" value="IP_address" />
  
  Where IP_address is the IP address of this machine on a subnet that is used to communicate with other vCenter Server instances in the Linked Mode group.
  !-- and /-- comment syntax. Restart the VirtualCenter Server Inventory Service. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).

• Restart the vSphere Web Client. For more information, see Stopping, starting, or restarting vCenter services (1003895).

Additional Information

How to stop, start, or restart vCenter Server services
vCenter Server でリンクモードを構成後に vSphere Web Client が次のエラーを出力する：Unable to connect to vCenter Inventory Service